If you had 1 lb per week loss guaranteed, would you take it?

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  • No, this isn't some phony thing I am trying to sell you! This is just for fun, sort of like dreaming about what you'd do if you won the lottery.

    I was just thinking about this and whether I would take a guaranteed 1 lb per week loss for a year or whether I would want to try to see if I could do better on my own. You have to stay on your plan, not randomly lose weight while eating whatever you wanted, but you'd lose a pound a week, no more stalls and plateaus and ups and downs. Effort in would equal weight lost, although at a relatively slow pace.

    Last time I tried losing weight, I lost 60ish lbs in about 6 months and I think I would have said "No way to 50 lbs in a year, I can do better!" But then I stopped sticking with my plan and the weight came back. So I think that yeah, I'd take this deal if I could get it, knowing that I would just have to keep plugging away but a year from now, I'd be guaranteed to be 52 less than I am today. And I haven't had any other time in my life where I've been able to make that happen.

    But the good part of this fantasy is that I really do have the power to stick with this for a year. And hopefully, that will mean 52 lbs lighter - maybe even more, maybe a little less. But the sticking with it part is what I am trying to focus on.
  • Well... I'm kind of doing this now. I've been through the whole Atkins diet, 1 stone in a fortnight, going to extremes thing because I tend towards impatience. I've been officially doing instinctive eating since 10 dec, and I've lost 6lbs, so that's approx 1lb a week. It feels soooo slow! Just think, another month or 2 until I can go down a dress size... But the whole extreme dieting approach is disastrous for me, so I'll take being rid of my 100lbs in 2 years over being the same size or bigger in 2 years! And as I'm not depriving myself at all, so it's easy to say I could do this for life

    So, short answer Yes, I would absolutely do this! But not if it involves a "plan". That's just personal for me though, I've seen plans work great for others.
  • just to clarify, "plan" = actively working towards weight loss. I didn't really mean it had to be a specific book or program, but the concept of this fantasy deal is that it still involves effort and you can't spend a year eating chocolate and chips, etc. and still come out 50 lbs lighter.

    I guess I need some help with the idea of fantasy, though, huh? Because it sure would be nice to spend the next year eating anything I wanted and still end up 50 lbs lighter.....
  • I understand

    I find I don't want to eat junk as much as I used to, which is helping! It's been my mission recently to find out which healthy foods I LOVE, so I can just eat those if I can't work out what I'm really hungry for.

    I'm happy to have lost 6lbs in about 5wks, but I don't feel any smaller yet which is frustrating, but these days I'd happily go for slow, sustainable weight loss. Oh to be 52lbs lighter in a year! If we're talking fantasy talk, what I really want is a time machine Ok I'll be a year older, but I'll take that trade off
  • That's my goal this year. I want to lose just 50 pounds. That will get me to my lowest weight and I could fit into all those clothes again. I figure if I just stick to it, I can do this. I figure that just having a slow goal like this, then I could keep the motivation going. Whereas if I had a 50 pounds goal in 25 weeks, I'd be more ahhhh and stressed for it.
  • I find it helpful to think back to x amount of time ago, ie this might take 2yrs so, 2yrs ago I was... about the same size I am now! And then I think I wish I'd started this then, then think ok well I'll start it now.

    Might help?
  • I think I'm losing more than 1lb per week right now... around 2 and sometimes its 3lbs per week...just depends.

    I'll stick to this for now!
  • I am very hard on myself and since I lost over a 100 pounds. I notice my weigh lost has slowed down. So, one pound a week is good for me!
  • But I want it nowwwww! Just kidding, channeling my inner Veruca Salt. I would take the promised 1lb and be happy!
  • Definitely!!!
  • The first year at this - no way.
    Second year at this - sure - I only had 15-20 to go and I gave myself all year to get there.

    What happened? I ended up GAINING over the last bit of the year and didn't lose a thing! Should have taken that guarantee.

    I'm entering the third year of this - I have 30 pounds to go would I take a guarantee of 1 lb a week? No. Why? I know a lot of it is water weight from the holidays and I know that if I stick to it and push myself I could lose it faster.

    I know the routine now. I'm fit (or fairly fit). I just need to keep my eating in control and stay away from simple carbs. If I do that? I should drop more than a pound a week. I want to lose this 30 by the end of April.
  • I would take it....I have never lost more than 30 lbs and have never sustained any weight loss. Maybe Ideal Protein will be different for me. So far, so good.
  • I would take you up on it. Losing weight is hard, and it is easy to go back up. So I would take the risk-free 1pound per week.
  • Hmm interesting question. My immediate response is "no, I could do better!" Then, I think how I started losing weight this time last year, fell off the wagon and maintained for a year. It would be nice to be 52 lbs lighter right about now...

    Im learning slow and steady wins the race. My weeks are often up and down, itd be nice to have the consistent weight loss. Effort in, and guaranteed results!
  • I would definitely take it. One of my mantras when I feel I'm losing too slowly is "ONLY one pound a week... ends up with over 50 pounds gone by this time next year"

    And I've been plateaued (or going back up) for months now. I need to start going DOWN again!